The players uniting against the sponsorship have more than 2,300 caps between them and include England defender Niamh Charles, as well as the captains of the Canadian and Italian national teams.
They have had the support of their campaign through the Athletes of the Global organization., abroadwhich brings together combined athletes to advise on problems such as circumstance trading and poverty.
Danish world Sofie Junge Pedersen was one of the creators of the lyrics, abroad which describes sponsorship as “worse than an own goal” and that women’s football “deserves better” from its governing framework.
“We would like FIFA to replace Saudi Aramco with other sponsors whose values are more aligned with gender equality, human rights and a safe planet for all,” Pedersen added.
“Then we also suggest that they create a committee with player representation that can be part of deciding which sponsors should be chosen.” [in the future]”.
Both Pedersen and Miedema agree that other sponsors should be sought, although this means that business is less profitable for women’s football.
Miedema says if Aramco comes on board as a sponsor of the 2027 Women’s World Cup, it could generate more action from the players.
“I think you’ve seen over the last few years that women’s teams aren’t afraid to stand up for what they believe in.
“They have revealed boycotts from different groups, clearly recently, like with the American team, with the Canadian team, everyone is very noticeable and willing to share their criticism.
“It shows that in the future there will be a lot of attention and things will definitely happen around the World Cup.”
